Myerscough College plans to plant more trees

Myerscough College is to become one of the first in the country to take part in a project to promote the sustainable growth and use of coniferous trees across the UK in future generations.

The Conifers for Colleges scheme is a joint venture with the Royal Forestry Society (RFS) and will see hundreds of trees planted at the college’s Bilsborrow campus near Preston, later this year.

Around 400 coniferous trees, made up of 18 different species, as well as a further 100 additional broadleaf trees, all with tree guards, will be planted.

Over the next few years arboriculture students will monitor their growth and be able to get a broader understanding of a larger variety of trees, with the research data from the project also being made widely available to woodland owners and managers across the UK via a special database.

Duncan Slater is a senior lecturer in arboriculture at Myerscough working on the project.

He said: “This planting represents a great opportunity for the college to interact further with the forestry industry, which it already helps in terms of the training of students in woodland management practices and practical courses in the use of chainsaws, tree climbing and the safe use of arboricultural machinery.”